My point is this.
1. There is no easy way to running.
2. There is no shoe in the world that will make you faster or make you a better runner.

If you take the time to read my ramblings in the posts labeled Running or Running Shoes you'll see the consistency I bring and the real story that is running. I don't change my tune to suit the current wave because I'm not trying to make money on this. I'm simply trying to help runners run and feel the joy I feel when running.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Currently cars are winning this game. In a few recent cases the result was major injury or death. Yesterday I saw a rider coming down a very busy road in his aero bars. At the bottom of the hill there is a road merging from the right and immediately after there are two right hand turn lanes. the bike lane continues straight and remains to the left of the turn lanes. So you have heavy traffic, tricky negotiations of lanes and a cyclist coming through in his aero bars. He ended up yelling profanities at the cars.

Riders need to take some responsibility.

Blind spots are around every car. Stay out of the blind spots you know.

Stop signs and stop lights apply to all. The issue bike riders cause in rolling through is angst. You piss off the drivers.

Yes there are drivers who are sick of bikes but most are trying to do the right thing by you. Give them a break if they make a mistake. It is ok to remind them that you are there but do it with class and the point will be made. Laced with profanities they will only remember the ass on the bike who cussed them out.

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

I will start with a shout out to James Walsh who was hurt badly on Saturday. He was side swiped by a car while coming down one of the typically safe hills. I sure hope James can get back on the bike soon. It is not in favor of the bikes right now in San Diego.

This past weekend I scouted the Ironman Lake Tahoe course:

The Swim
Kings Beach is home to the 2.4 mile swim. The Swim is set as two 1.2 mile loops. I am not sure if I swam from the exact beach but I was close. The water was cold at 50 degrees. Expect it to warm up but even in September it will not be warm water. You will also want to practice dolphin dives in shallow water. The water stays shallow for quite awhile.

The Bike
Overall the bike is fast. Where it is fast it is really fast even with all the wind. The issue will be that it is strength that matters. There is a section you can't pre pre ride and I expect that section to be rolling hills. Just after that section is 4 miles at 6% that crests at 7200 feet. The second time through will hurt. The downhill is super fast and a good rest. The start of the bike to Squaw valley is the really fast section. You will cover this section three times. There is one bump in the road. It is one mile long at 7% grade. The first time through you won't really remember you did a climb. The second time through it will bite. The third time through the strong riders will get over no problem the weaker riders will struggle. The good thing is it is downhill from there to Squaw.

The Run
It is a runner course. Rolling enough to keep it interesting. Smooth and fast. There will be fast times set on this course. No secret I loved the run course.

The Altitude
Lake Tahoe sits at 6200 feet above sea level. It is not thin air but you will probably feel it the most while swimming. Each swim breath will get a bit less oxygen then most are used to. The key is to not get excited in the swim. Stay in control and it will be fine. It is Ironman and the key is to get out of the water fresh.

The Race
It is the most beautiful Ironman course I have seen. Simply stunning.

The question you may ask, are you Dave doing this? The answer is yes. I plan to get after it. I will update my progress from time to time.

Monday, May 20, 2013

It is hard to pass up a race in the backyard. With an easy spin warm up I was at the start. I was home 20 minutes after I crossed the line.

The race always draws a good local crowd and big surf. The surf was especially big his time causing many to opt out of the swim. Personally twice I considered dropping out after being tossed by the waves. I manged to fight the urge and finish the longest 750 meter swim of my life.

The bike was flat and fast. A good redline effort. On the run I just went from the start. at turnaround #1 I saw this guy in my agegroup hauling. I knew he would catch me which he did at turnaround #2. But he didn't pass. I ran the uphill strong with him on my heels. I thought if I could hold him off to the final turaround I could hurt more than him. At the turn I surged and then let him catch. I surged again and let him catch. At the catch with 600 meters to go I let loose and broke him. My little racing moment.

My third triathlon and fourth race this year. It feels good to race again.

Friday, May 17, 2013

Last year at the running event in Austin, Texas there were 42 shoe brands representing running shoes. I bet I can't name 30 of them and I work in the industry. The majority of the brands are spin offs of minimalism, barefoot running or natural running. There are arguments that could be said they are all the same. Run Barefoot. Well you can't do that all the time so run in minimalism and make sure you do it the way nature intended.

Running has gotten to complicated. It used to be, you find a shoe you like and run in it until the sole falls off.If you made it that far than the shoe was right. Now because of the internet and blogs like this one everyone is an expert. We shall see this year at the Running Event. The true experts, the end consumers are starting to figure it all out.

Just go for a run and if you can't feel your feet and don't think about feet/shoes keep running. You are in the right shoe.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Fit, Feel and Function is what makes up a running shoe. Fit, Feel and Function and how it works for your foot is the ultimate test. The issue (for us shoe makers) is that everyone comes in different sizes and shapes oh and different running styles on different surfaces.

Fit

Nike gets heel fit. Heel Fit is everything in a running shoe. A Fit that grabs your Heel and locks it in place without lacing is good one that doesn't is poor. This one is great. No gimmicks just good standard shoe making.

The midfoot and Toebox fit my feet fine. Which is the first caution. My feet are narrow and have a low instep. If you have a wide foot or a high instep these shoes will be tight.

Under the Arch I've always liked Nike. The foot memory just settled into the feel of the footbed. Like my feet came home.

Feel

Bill Bowerman was a wizard. The Waffle sole he created is still in play and still feels great. Run in a shoe that has no lugs in the forefoot then run in a Nike shoe with the Waffle and you'll feel what I'm talking about. There is a sensation under the foot that is at once spongy and springy and that's the lugs collapsing and coming back. Just feels great at any speed.

Light - The shoe is light but not overly light. This is also part runner. I have skinny bones so what feels light to me will probably feel ultra light to others. So my guess is this shoe will feel lighter for you than it does for me. I like it the way it is.

Flexibility - This is where I struggle with the shoe. It has almost no flexibility. Flex is important to my feet because my toes are long. Longer toes need flex (I believe). 45 minutes into every run my forefoot went numb because they were locked in and not flexing. Larger runners with more force will flex through the shoes fine. Slight runners with more flow will not. In me that means numb.

Function

Exceptionally cushioned for a lightweight trainer. More cushion than I remember in the Zoot Elite and I think that's a good thing.

Stable - Ever the brand that can, Nike built a stability trainer with no grey post on the medial side to show you. It's quite stable and that's good for those who need it.

Work Horse - Use it every day, set it out to dry and go again. That's the sign of a good shoe and this is one of those. It's built to last and it's built to work every day.

Next up......I know where I want to go but I'm going to let my sense do it again. I'll walk into the store and maybe have the sales person fit me for the perfect shoe.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

I am a flawed person. The last 6-8 weeks prove it. I've been pissy, I've been pissed off, I've stepped all over people especially my wife and my son. Yes, I stepped on my family. I've looked back and analyzed it. Put it on a spreadsheet. All I can say is the words below speak better to what I want. More than any words I can come up with:Words by Jon ForemanFeeling like a refugeeLike it don't belong to meThe colors flash across the sky

This air feels strange to meFeeling like a tragedyI take a deep breath and close my eyesOne last timeOne last time

Storms on the wastelandDark clouds on the plains againWe were born into the fight

But I'm not sentimentalThis skin and bones is a rentalAnd no one makes it out alive

Until I die I'll sing these songsOn the shores of BabylonStill looking for a homeIn a world where I belong

Where the weak are finally strongWhere the righteous right the wrongsStill looking for a home In a world where I belong

Feels like we're just waiting, waitingWhile are hearts are just breaking, breakingFeels like we've been fighting against the tide

I wanna see the earth start shakingI wanna see a generationFinally waking up inside

Until I die I'll sing these songsOn the shores of BabylonStill looking for a homeIn a world where I belong

Where the weak are finally strongWhere the righteous right the wrongsStill looking for a home In a world where I belong

A world where I belong

This body's not my ownThis world is not my ownBut I still can hear the soundOf my heart beating outSo let's go boys, sing it loud

And on the final day I dieI want to hold my head up highI want to tell You that I triedTo live it like a song

And when I reach the other sideI want to look You in the eyeAnd know that I've arrived In a world where I belong

In a world where I belongIn a world where I belongWhere I belongWhere I belong

Where I belongYeahWhere I belongYeah!

I still believe we can live forever You and I we begin forever nowForever nowForeverI still believe in us togetherYou and I we're here together nowTogether nowForever nowForever nowForever now

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Last night was the league championships. Our runner (Pictures on the Left) as you can see ran a new PR in the 2 mile. A full 9 seconds faster. The interesting note is he ran those two fast times on the same track. More important in my view is he finished first Freshman. That is a good outlook for the future.Now starts the off season. It is here where runners take big steps. But of course this like everything is on the runner. He will make the choice to make the off season count or not.It's a good life....

Tuesday, May 7, 2013

The team enjoying a post Swim dinner by the lake. Polish food just like they do it in Wisconsin.

The Lake we swam in. The swim was to give everyone an experience in a Zoot Wetsuit. Because it was with my friend Marcus he turned it into a swim workout and we swam from one side of the lake to the other and back. But we weren't done there.....

We finished the swim and Marcus says "Dave, now we run for 20 minutes". Next thing I know it's the German, an Israeli and I on what ended up being a 50 minute run. There were two topics of discussion. Bikes and Politics. The Israeli had stumps for legs and we got to talking about his gearing and cranks. He rides 175mm cranks with a 55 on the front and 11-23 on the back. That makes for big legs. If I did that it would be a squat workout every time I road. The last 15 minutes of the run was a discussion of Politics in the Holy Land. Interesting to hear it directly from one who lives it every single day. Iran, Lebanon, Syria, precision bombing and how do you feel were all on the discussion. All I kept thinking is Mary needs to be on this run with me to ask the questions.

Yes if you are keeping track, my Tuesday in Poland consisted of 1:50 of running split between two runs and 30 minutes of steady swimming in a Lake. In Between all of that we executed day 1 of a sales meeting.

This picture was taken in Austria last November at our European Sales meeting. Today In Poland at the same time as always the group met in the lobby for a run. There were 10 people who started and after 15 or so minutes the group was down to 5. The same 5 people who run every sales meeting.

The beauty is that it's the same 5 guys. We know the pace, we know the run is 1 hour and we like each other. Today one of the 5 who is recovering from a broken back had this to say "I've saved all my running for this one day" Because of that, even on tired legs I stuck with the boys and did the hour.

This is what makes running so good and so easy. You run with a group for 3 days, twice a year and you can fall right into pace no matter where in the world you happen to be.

If you ever get a chance, visit St George, UT. I suggest go in early Spring when it's probably cooler but go. It is stunningly beautiful.

Going into the race my head was not in it. Stress at work, A brother with ALS and the thought of waking up Sunday Morning to get on a plane bound for Europe was just too much for my head. I woke up Saturday Morning and decided this would be a training day. It was the best decision I made all week.

I did it like this. Easy swim, no stress 44th in my age group out of the water. Super Dizzy coming out but not stressed. I got on my bike and road like it was a catered training ride. I slowed for the catering part. Somehow I managed to pass 14 riders on the bike. I'm guessing 12 of them were on the last really long climb in Snow Canyon. I was spinning up the hill where most were grinding. By the way my swim wave was 18th of 20 or 21. I had 85% of the race in front of me at the start. Lot's of people to talk to on the way by them. On the run, I told myself to be strong on the hills. A big thanks to Paul Huddle and Rock Frey for creating the hardest 70.3 run course in the world. Anyway I just set a pace I knew I could run for 10 miles. Many of of 14 I had passed went by me in the first half of the run. I hit 10 miles and let my legs go and decided to finish strong. I was feeling fine, nothing hurt. I crossed the finish line in 25th and called it a day. 5:13:xx on a "training" day was very fun.

Some observations.

My water bottle in one of my bags emptied out on the bus ride to the swim start. My race top was soaking wet when I put it on. Even though it's going to get wet anyway, that is a miserable experience to stand for 90 minutes in a wet top.

People ride bikes like they drive on the Free Ways. The rules of the road are slower traffic stays to the right.

I can't help to look at feet while I'm running. Triathletes are quick to jump on new. A couple observations in the footwear. Every time I saw someone stopped and stretching a calf they were wearing Brooks Pure running shoes. If you have an overpronation issue in your running, it's going to be worse in a Newton or Hoka. In Newton that forefoot pod is not stable so when your over-pronating foot hits that pad it's more like a crash then roll. I saw legs just shimmering with vibration. In the Hoka it's simply a free fall. That Over-Pronating foot just falls off the super high platform. This is not a knock on the shoes, but on the athletes who probably bought the shoes on line. Go to a running store and get the right shoes for your running. They won't be sexy, they won't be the latest and greatest but they will work better for you and you will run better.

The Ultra Kiawe is the bomb if I do say so myself. No socks, no problems. In fact when I took my feet out of the cycling shoes and put on the Kiawe I swear there was a huge sense of relief that started at my feet. Too bad I didn't honor the shoes with a fast run.

Thursday, May 2, 2013

This quote was used the other day with a bit of Sarcasm which I guess is always the case when this is said. I know I've probably used that exact quote a few times in my life under frustration. Let's really dig into the comment.

Decisions - Some are easy, some are hard, some have a deadline and some need the sign off from the person in charge.

Executives - Make good decisions, bad decisions but the good ones always take ownership of the decision they make.

I made an Executive Decision - If it's the wrong decision, will you own up to it or will you also say "I made that decision because I couldn't wait for the Executive to get off his/her ass to make it"?